Serbian striker, Alexsandar Rakic, was on trial at Chonburi in January, 2012. He made a good impression on the fans, but seemingly not so with the coaching staff. Here's my illuminating interview with him, which was conducted shortly after he had to leave the country.
Q - Please can you tell us a bit about your background?
A- I was born on January 7th, 1987 in Novi Sad, Serbia and l have lived there since I was born. I could say that I have played football for my whole life because I started in my early childhood. I play as a forward and in my career I have played for Vojvodina FC, which is one of the top clubs in Serbia. During that time I was chosen to play for the young national selection. For the last few years I played for FC Cement and I had the honour to be a team captain during that time.
Q - How did you hear about Chonburi FC?
A- Since football is the most popular sport in Serbia, we have great football players here, and a lot of them are making their careers outside the country. Some of my friends have played or are still playing in Thailand, so I heard about Chonburi FC from them.
Q - How did you get a trial with Chonburi FC?
A- A Serbian businessman, who eventually became my personal friend, liked my game very much, and he asked me if I would like to play in Thailand. He knew a man who was working as a football manager there and when he also saw me play, he asked me to come for the trial with Chonburi FC.
Q - What did you know about Chonburi FC and Thai football before you came for a trial?
A- To be honest, I did not know that much, I just got some information from my friends and of course I checked on the internet. I was very excited about the trial, because this sounded like a dream. Playing football with one of the best clubs in Thailand, and living in such an amazing country as Thailand! Later on I found out about the Thai football from my roommate in Chonburi, who is working as a team physiotherapist.
Q - What do you think about the set up at Chonburi FC?
A- I think Chonburi is a great club. Very well organized and it seems that everything works perfectly.
Q - What kind of drills did you do in training? How does the coaching at Chonburi compare with what you've experienced before?
A - Personally, I found training quite interesting but also high of a high level and demanding. I put in a lot of effort in training and answered all requests. But I have to emphasize that I am not a “training player”, I give my maximum during matches.
I must admit that in the beginning I had a small problem with my team mates because I had a feeling they did not want to cooperate - for example, they didn’t seem to want to give the ball to me in training, but after some time, when they met me, it was all right. All in all, I was satisfied with training and my play there.
As for the the coaching, the training sessions are similar to those in Europe, even though they last a bit longer in Thailand, but the techniques are the same.
Q - Which matches did you play in while you were here? How did you think you performed in the games you played?
A - I stayed for two weeks in Chonburi. I played in nine training sessions and two matches. I played 65 minutes in the match with Kitchee from Hong Kong, when we won. I scored the goal to win us the game 1-0. The second match I played in was against Tampines Rovers from Singapore (Pictured). I played in the first half and scored the first goal in this match too. I really did my best and I think that my teammates and fans also felt the same.
Q - What did the coach say to you about your performances?
A - Actually, the coach did not talk to me almost at all. He talked only to my manager. Maybe the language barrier was the problem.
Q - Were you offered a contract with Chonburi?
A - Unfortunately, at the end, the contract was not offered to me, even though during the last days of my stay I understood that everything is fine and that I can expect the contract. What actually happened, I still don’t know. I only had one call from my personal manager, when he informed me that we hadn’t got a contract but he did not explain anything. After that I did not hear from him anymore. I felt so disappointed at that moment. The situation is very complicated. As I already said, I didn’t hear the final decision from the club members, I only spoke to my manager. I am afraid that I did not get an opportunity to play for Chonburi FC, because my manager made requests I did not know about.
Q - What was said to you before you returned to Serbia?
A- As I already said, I almost got no answer. I am so sad now, because I did not have a chance to speak personally to someone from the club, because I really think they were satisfied with my play. But the thing was that I had to go back to Serbia, because the same day my ticket and my visa were expiring, so I didn’t have chance to stay a few days more in Chonburi to get the answers.
Q - How would describe your time at Chonburi?
A- I was happy at Chonburi. I liked the city and I liked the team. I spent my time with friends I had made there. I enjoyed discovering the culture of the Thai people, who were very kind to me. Unfortunately, the end of my stay was not that nice.
Q - If you don't come back to Chonburi, where do you go from here?
A-I have had some offers from Europe and from Serbia also, but I have to think about them carefully. My wish is to play in Thailand now and I would definitely come back to Thailand soon.
Q - Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A - I really hope I will be back in Thailand soon. I fell in love with the country. I am so disappointed with what happened now, but unfortunately, this is a common situation and problem that we football players have! It’s not always just about us, but about someone else. Anyway, I still have faith that I will get the chance to play in the Thai football league. I would still like to play for Chonburi FC. That could be a huge step for me, and also benefit for the club, I think.
Q - Thank you Aleksandar.
A - Thank you so much for the interview.
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